MYSTERY SHIP

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22398, 20 October 1934, Page 26

MYSTERY SHIP

SINKING OF TOE PRIZE “ FIRST AUTHENTIC ACCOUNT ” A FAMOUS AUCKLANDER. What is stated to be the first authentic account of the destruction of H.M.S. Prize, the mystery ship commanded in the Great War by the famous Auckland Victoria Cross winner, the late Lieuten-ant-commander W. E. Sanders, R.N.R., is contained in the Dolphin and Guild Gazette, the official journal of the Imperial Merchant Service Guild. The story is told by Captain W. M. Williams, who was a captive on the German submarine ÜB4B, which had sunk his own ship, the Roanoke, on August 12, 1917. “The following day,” states Captain Williams, “being the only prisoner on board. I. was given permission to go up on the conning tower, and about noon a sailing vessel was sighted far off on the southern horizon, about 100 miles west of the western coast of Ireland, the day being fine and clear, with a light breeze. The Germans took this vessel to bo an American, and were pleased at having picked up an easy victim. ' “ On approaching to within four or five miles off I was ordered below, and shortly afterwards the Germans opened fire and continued for 15 or 20 minutes while approaching, the masts and spars being badly damaged. Satisfied with this, the U boat then dived under and had passed to the southward of his victim before he brought his periscope to the surface, at a distance of about a mile away. " THEN THE COMMOTION STARTED.” “The victim was found to be an iron three-masted topsail schooner, flying the Swedish flag. It wag then seen that the crew had abandoned ship and were, in a boat about half a mile away. Believing that the schooner was abandoned, the U boat broke surface and approached broadside on to the schooner. Then the commotion started; the White Ensign was broken at the peak and both veksels opened fire at the same time, great panic being caused among the Germans. “ I anticipated that the U boat, its warriors and at least myself, were done for, so kept waiting with a stiff upper lip, aud felt I did not care how soon it came. That, however, had not to be; the commander soon realised the danger he was in, and decided that diving was the best action he could take and, indeed, from the time the alarm was given only a few seconds had elapsed before lie had his boat under water in safety, and in order to try and deceive hig enemy he at once ordered oil to Ije pumped olit. ONLY TWO HITS MADE. “ When the excitement was over and the crew, among whom, and the torpedoes, I had to make my quarters, had somewhat calmed down, f was given a description of all that had happened.

Realising then that the schooner was a mystery ship and that the boat contained the panic party, and having knowledge of their tactics, it will always remain a mystery to me how the U boat escaped so easily, because I could hear the schooner’s guug booming at a very close range. “Only two hits were made, one taking away the flagstaff on the conning tower, the other clean through a strengthening angle bar fixed in a fore and aft line and flush with the deck. This hit was made forward, and at a later date, when 1 had the opportunity, I took close notice of the damage caused. “ I found that, had the shell struck three inches lover it could not have missed the pile of torpedoes that were stowed directly beneath, among which I was not politely told to he out of the way during the action. 1 was later approached by the commander, (who was in violent temper, and vowed vengeance on me, as well as my countrymen in the schooner, a thing, lie said, ‘ too dangerous for others of my countrymen to be left afloat.’ WARNING IMPOSSIBLE. “ During the evening the. submarine being on the surface, I was again given permission to go on the conning tower, and from where 1 stood I could steal a glance at. the compass just below. At a good distance away I could see the schooner heading to the south-east, the submarine following at a very safe distance; again, in passing through the officers’ quarters to go to my own luxurious ones, 1 stole a glance at a chart on the table, on which the ship’s position and course were marked, and found we were heading toward Cape Clear. “Within a few minutes of midnight ‘action stations’ was ordered; then I realised that an attack upon my fellowmen was about to take place. Thought of this and the feelings I had can better be imagined than described. If it was onlv in ray power to give them one word of warning! But I could do nothing but stand by and watch the hateful operation, tortured with the thought of the destruction that was so soon to take place. THE FATAL TORPEDO. • “It was close upon midnight when the torpedo was fired at the schooner’s broadside. at very short range; so near, I was told afterwards, that they could see the man steering, and he only, without any other sign of life aboard. The torpedo made a hit 30 seconds after it was fired, with a Toud explosion which everyone listened for, aud which unfortunately I heard myself too loud aud distinct. It was described to mo that, after the massive flame as the result, nothing more was seen of the vessel, not even a crap of wreckage, owing. I suppose, to the b.ackness of the night. . . . “ The submarine, however, cruised in that vicinity during the night, expecting, as I learned, to pick up some object or document of valuable information that might be floating about from the sunken vessel. All that was found was a mans bodv with its lifebelt on. which was taken on ‘board, searched, aud thrown over again; also a long, narrow teakwood box marked in white block letters. ‘Gun sightin.v I stared at that box for days: it wa> Hie only thing visible to me that was not German.''